Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART)includes all fertility treatments in which both eggs and sperm are handled. In general, ART procedures involve surgically removing eggs from a woman’s ovaries, combining them with sperm in the laboratory, and returning them to the woman’s body or donating them to another woman. They do NOT include treatments in which only sperm are handled (i.e., intrauterine-or artificial-insemination) or procedures in which a woman takes medicine only to stimulate egg production without the intention of having eggs retrieved.

Key procedures within the area of Assisted Reproductive Technology include:

ICSI IVF (Intracytoplasmic sperm injection)

Sperm Donor IVF

Egg Donor IVF

ICSI IVF

In vitro fertilization with ICSI (Intracytoplasmic sperm injection) is a very effective method to get fertilization of eggs in the IVF lab after they have been retrieved from the female partner. IVF with ICSI involves the use of specialized micromanipulation tools and equipment and inverted microscopes that enable embryologists to select and then pick up individual sperms in a tiny specially designed hollow ICSI needle. Then the needle is carefully advanced through the outer shell of the egg and egg membrane and the sperm is then injected into the inner part (cytoplasm) of the egg. This will usually result in normal fertilization in approximately 70-85% of eggs injected with viable sperm.

Sperm Donation IVF

This is a procedure by which the egg of a female is fertilized, using artificial insemination techniques or IVF, with sperm from a healthy male that has been donated and kept frozen in a sperm bank. The resulting embryo is then implanted into the uterus where it will ideally develop into a fetus.

Egg Donation IVF

Donor egg IVF is an option for couples whose eggs will no longer fertilize and produce healthy embryos. Egg quality generally declines with advancing female age but it can occur at any age. Ovarian reserve is a measure of “egg quality” and is evaluated during the infertility workup. Egg donors are either unknown or known and may be a friend or relative.

IVF Cost and Cost Mitigation through Medical Travel/Medical Tourism

The high cost of any IVF procedure has led many couples to consider Medical Tourism from the USA in order to get access to Assisted Reproductive Technology experience. Their full-service approach ensures that alocal representatives is always nearby to assist with any needs throughout the trip. Case managers build a seamless travel plan, including a complete plan for the critical times before and after the medical procedure.

Peter Propp is a Principal with consulting firm Shore Communications, Inc. His practice areas focus on providing marketing leadership advice and execution support to companies of all sizes. Visit http://www.shore.com to learn more.